Wikipedia Founder Defends Wikipedia Zero

In an exclusive interview to ET NOW from London, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales defended Wikipedia Zero to provide internet free of cost on mobile phones in developing markets and has backed the principle of net neutrality project despite admitting it was a complicated topic and that getting access to knowledge for poor people is equally important.

Wikipedia Zero follows a very strict set of principles such as no money is ever exchanged etc. “Net neutrality is such a complicated topic, it is something that I am extremely passionate about and I think is incredibly important,” elaborated Wales.

At the same time, Wales believes getting access to knowledge for the poorest people of world is also very important. “Sometimes those two things can be in tension and we have to be really careful about it. I think the fundamental thing is that we maintain an open and free Internet,” he said.

Wales was optimistic about Wikipedia’s rapidly growing contributor base in India, attributing it to the rise of affordable smartphones. Developing local communities will be key to tap into regional languages going forward.

Wales is looking forward to expand funds for Wikipedia beyond individual donors to setting up an endowment and also tap donations from tech billionaires.

While many believe CIO's role is evolving and that he's occupying a key place in the boardroom, a recent study brings to light that more than half of the CIO, CTO or IT admin staff (55%) are not thanked by colleagues for carrying out essential IT tasks on their behalf.